20 Jul Is It Safe to Get a Tattoo While Pregnant?

This post was originally posted in Norwegian July 20, 2018, and is now edited, updated and translated.

Is it safe to get tattooed when you are pregnant? This is a question we often get in the studio. There is no clear answer to whether it is completely safe or not, but I will explain a little bit about the risks.

Infections

Tattooing always involves a risk of infection. As pregnant, you have a lower immune system, and thus the ability to fight infections is very reduced. It can therefore very easily occur infections, and antibiotics are often needed to deal with it. However, during pregnancy, one should avoid “unnecessary” medications, including antibiotics. The body has enough to focus on during this period.

The Fetus

Unfortunately, there is not much knowledge about the possible harmful effects of the tattoo ink on the fetus itself. If the tattoo is done properly, the ink remains on the surface and usually does not pass into the blood. But even though the chance is small, there is still so little knowledge about the chemical structure and toxicity of tattoos that no one can say with certainty that the ink’s chemicals cannot harm the fetus. In particular, the first trimester is a critical phase in the development of the fetus, and any unnecessary exposure of chemical substances should be avoided.

The Pain

Getting tattooed is by no means a painless process, and it is known that the fetus responds to the mother’s pain and that it is likely to be stressed by it. The unbearable pain and stress that you may experience during tattooing could, worst case, induce labor leading to premature delivery. It is up to everybody to think about the potential dangers if one wishes to tattoo while pregnant. And if you decide to do that, it can be very difficult to find a tattoo artist who is willing to do the job. Most will reject you based on the dangers mentioned above.

The Safe Side

According to the Norwegian Food Safety Authority, there is little information available about the risk of tattooing while pregnant. But since the risk is unknown, one should be on the safe side and wait to get a tattoo until after birth. A tattoo lasts for life so why not wait until the body is ready to receive the tattoo properly?

Temporary Alternatives

If you really want to have a tattoo during your pregnancy, why not get a temporary one? Temporary tattoos can be as beautiful as the permanent one. They will not hurt you or your baby. I just love these Temporary Tattoos from Kittytats.com. you can get really beautiful and big ones, like these designs:

Thank you so much for visiting my blog today. If you liked “Is It Safe to Get a Tattoo While Pregnant?”, please feel free to share it with others. Comment below if you want to ask me a question or just say Hi. Sorry for the language confusion these days, I am currently switching over to English.